Moving On
by Jayne Leigh
Summary: Chandler asks Ross to trust him but when he doesn't bad things happen and secrets are revealed. (Please R&R)


**Just a one-part-fic in honour of Allie's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!**

Enjoy!

**Moving On**

"Hey, man…you're late…" Ross commented when Chandler walked into the girls' apartment later then normal.

"Yeah, my secretary quit today and I have to find a replacement…" Chandler sighed, dropping down on the couch.

"What's so bad about that?" Rachel questioned.

"Well, I just hate doing all the interviews and stuff, I just know some woman is going to come, with hardly any experience and with like 20 kids and I'll give her the job because I feel sorry for her…"

"So, don't do any interviews, give to someone you know…" Ross suggested. "I know just the person."

"Sorry, man…you don't fit the profile…"

"Not me…" He rolled his eyes. "This is guy, Steve I work with and his wife, Kelly is looking for a job…. She used to be a secretary but quit when they got married…."

"I don't know…" Chandler said slowly.

"Come on, man…just meet her…you'll love her…" Ross stated.

"Hey, why don't you invite them around for dinner tomorrow and you can see for yourself if she's any good…" Rachel cut in.

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Ross agreed. "Monica can cook…"

"She can?" Monica looked up.

"Oh you know, you love to be the hostess…"

Monica opened her mouth to protest but decided against and just sighed in defeat.

"Alright, fine…I'll meet her but I'm not making my promises…" Chandler replied.

"Okay, great…" Ross grinned, happy he could help out two of his friends.

_**XxXxX**_

"So, what did you think?" Ross asked, Chandler the next night after the couple had left.

"They were nice…" Chandler nodded.

"You going to give her the job?" Monica questioned, looking over.

"Yeah, she seems right for it…" He told them.

"Aw, great!" Ross exclaimed. "Man, you're not going to regret this!"

"I hope not…"

**_XxXxX_**

Four weeks had passed and everything was great, Chandler and Kelly were getting on fine at work. Ross and Steve were even better friends now that Ross had helped him out and everyone else was happy getting on with their lives.

Joey stumbled out of his bedroom at 7:30AM, he normally wouldn't be up at this time but he had an early audition. He mumbled something when he heard the shower already running; guess Chandler had gotten in there first. He sat down in one of the chairs waiting for him to finish, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Joey, you're up…" Chandler said slowly, walking out of his own room.

"Uh-huh…" His roommate yawned, before realising something. "Hey, if you're there…who's in the shower…"

Before he had chance to finish the sentence the door to the bathroom opened and Kelly walked out.

"I better get go…" She started before noticing Joey. "Oh, hi…"

"Uh…oh…uh…" Joey stuttered, his mouth open in shock.

"I'll see you at work…" Chandler gave her a small, reassuring smile.

"Oh, yeah…okay…" She nodded. "Thanks for last night…. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, bye…" Chandler followed her to the door, once he closed it behind her, he turned back to Joey.

"Dude!" Joey exclaimed.

"It's not what you think…" Chandler stated.

"I'm not thinking anything…" Joey held up his hands. "You're hot, married secretary showering in our bathroom early in the morning…"

"She just needed somewhere to stay last night…" Chandler claimed. "That's all…"

"If you say so…" Joey replied.

"I'm serious…" Chandler looked at him. "Look, please don't go around telling everyone…"

"Hey, you're secret is safe with me…"

_**XxXxX**_

He knew Joey had opened his mouth as soon as he walked through the door of the girls' apartment that night just by the looks on his friends faces. He was just glad Ross hadn't arrived yet.

"I can't believe you do something like that…" Rachel broke the silence.

"Yeah, and with your secretary, that's so un-ordinal…" Phoebe added.

"Thanks, Joe…" Chandler sighed.

"Hey, they dragged it out of me!" He insisted.

"Chandler, you do realise she's married don't you!" Monica looked at him. "And to one of Ross' friends."

"Yeah, thank you…I am aware of that…" He rolled his eyes. "But there is nothing go on…"

"Oh that's what they all say…" Rachel replied.

"It's true!"

"Uh-huh, okay…"

"Wouldn't want to be you when Ross finds out!"

"There's nothing to find out!" He claimed.

"The truth will come out…" Phoebe told him. "It always does….and you'll be the one who gets hurts…"

"Very much doubt that…" He mumbled in reply but none of them heard.

"What?" Rachel asked.

"Nothing…Look, I'm being serious, nothing is going on!" He insisted. "Me and Kelly are just friends."

"Oh, that's why she spent the night at our place last night…" Joey answered. "And I'm guessing it was her who left your sweats in the bathroom too…"

"What!"

They all turned around to see Ross stood at the door.

"Uh-oh…" Rachel muttered, before standing up and walking towards her boyfriend. "Hey honey…"

"What's going on?" Ross looked directly at Chandler, ignoring her.

"Nothing…"

"Doesn't sound like nothing!" He replied. "Are you and Kelly having an affair!"

"NO!"

"I don't believe you!"

"Gee, thanks!" He replied sarcastically.

"Steve has been saying something been weird with her lately…" Ross continued. "How can you do this!"

"Ross, believe me when I say there is nothing going on!" Chandler raised his voice slightly.

Ross was quiet for a moment, trying to decide what to believe. He sighed, knowing that Chandler had never lied to him before.

"You promise?"

"Yes! Just trust me!" Chandler assured him.

"Okay, fine…" Ross nodded in agreement. "But if I found out anything has happened…."

"There hasn't!"

"Okay…"

"Right, now that's sorted…. what's for dinner?" Joey asked, causing everyone to look at him. "What?"

_**XxXxX**_

Chandler rubbed his blurred eyes as he walked through his living room, flicking on the lights as he pulled open the front door. When he saw her, he immediately opened his arms towards her. She gratefully stepped into them; burying her face into his chest as small sobs, shock her body. Neither of them spoke as he carefully, guided into the apartment and quietly closing the door behind them.

"Ross?" Rachel whispered into the darkest from her bedroom door. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing…" He mumbled, moving away from the peephole, angry filled inside of him as he thought about the scene he just witnessed.

_**XxXxX**_

Chandler typed as fast as he could, his eyes never leaving the computer screen. He had a report that was due in 30minutes and he had only just started it. He didn't even stop working when he heard a knock at the door; he simply called out for whomever to come in. When he heard the door open, he glanced up.

"Steve?" He frowned slightly. "Kelly left about an hour ago."

"I know!" Steve replied, slamming the open door. "It's you I want to see!"

_**XxXxX**_

Rachel had just finished work and headed towards her apartment, everyone would probably already be there by now, and she just hoped Ross was in a better mood.

She stopped when she noticed some sat up against the guys' apartment door. Her legs pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped her knees tightly, her face buried in them.

"Kelly?" She said softly, approaching, hearing her sobs. "Are you okay?"

"Where's Chandler?" She whispered.

"What?" Rachel asked, she gasped when she finally lifted her head. Her left eye was swollen, her lip was split and she had a large cut across her forehead.

"Chandler…I…I need to see…him…" Tears dropped from her eyes. "Wher…where I she?"

"I uh…I think he's in there…" Rachel pointed to her apartment; she moved to help her up. "Come on…"

"No…" Kelly tried to protest.

"It's okay…" Rachel tried to reassure her, her mind thinking up all kinds of reasons for the state she was in.

Kelly reluctantly allowed Rachel to help into her apartment, everyone's conversations stopped as they stared at her in shock.

"Oh my god!" Monica admittedly ran towards them to help with Phoebe and Joey close behind her. All of them failed to notice; Ross stood watching with a guilty look on his face.

"What happened?" Phoebe asked.

"Where's Chandler?"

"At work…I think…" Joey told her, before turning towards the phone. "I'll call him."

"Kelly, we need to get you to a hospital…" Monica said softly.

"No…I'm fine…I just…I just need to talk to Chandler…" She claimed.

"There's no answer…" Joey replaced the phone. "He must have left already…"

"He'll be here soon…" Rachel told her, gently.

It was 15 minutes later when the door was flung up and Chandler came running in.

"Have any of you heard from Kel…." His voice trailed off when she stood up.

"Chandler, what happened to you?" Joey asked, seeing Chandler had his own black eye.

"I'm fine…" He whispered, his eyes still on Kelly. "Are you okay?"

"You told him…" She whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "I trusted you…"

"What?" Chandler stepped towards her back as he did, she stepped backwards.

"You're just like him!" She claimed.

"I am nothing like him!"

"Yes you are, playing your games!" She remarked angrily. "Using me, not caring what happens!"

"How can you say that!" Chandler shot back, as the others watched on in silence not sure what was happening.

"I can't believe I ever trusted you…" She continued. "I bet everything you told me was a lie!"

"Hey, I would not lie about something like that!"

"You were probably having a right laugh with your friends about it all…telling them how I so naively believed everything you told me!"

"No!"

"Everything you said about your Dad…how…. How you use to beat you ever night for 3 years…How he came close to killing you and how he left you terrified to get close to anyone in case you turn into him…" She continued, not noticing how the others looked at each other shocked. Ignoring the fact that Chandler stared at her, waiting for her to finish. "How…how you tricked me into trusting you, falling for you…. But then for you to reject me…. Do you know how that felt? Do you know how cruel your games actually are?"

"Wait…" Ross interrupted. "You…you two aren't together…"

Chandler slowly looked at him. "No…"

"Bu…but but I thought you were…" Ross slowly started, more guilt washed over him.

"What?" Kelly looked at him curiously.

"I uh….I …I told Steve I thought you two were having an affair…" He admitted quietly.

"You told him!"

"I'm sorry…"

"I thought….I thought it was you…" Kelly looked at Chandler. "Oh my god…"

Chandler shrugged slightly before walking towards her. "Mon, you got a first aid kit?"

"What? Oh, yeah…yeah sure…" She nodded, quickly rushing it get it.

"Chandler, I'm so sorry…" Kelly cried, as he gently pulled her into his arms. "I'm so so so sorry…"

"Shhh, its okay…. It doesn't matter…" He soothed.

"It does…you've been so good to me…you've helped me…. And I did this…"

"You haven't done anything…" He led her towards the couch, sitting her down as Monica handed in the first aid kit. Everyone was silent and watched Chandler carefully clean up Kelly's wounds. No one knew what to say about what just happened.

"This is going to need stitches…" He sighed, realising how deep the cut on her forehead was. "And you need to check out probably."

"I'm not going to hospital…" She began to shake slightly.

"You need to…" Chandler said softly. "And you need to talk to the police."

"No!"

"Yes…" He answered. "You need to move on from this…you can beat him, I know you can."

"No, he'll kill me!"

"He won't…" Chandler shook his head. "You can't go on like this, you can't live in fear for the rest of your life."

"But…"

"You'll end up like me…" He tried to joke before turning serious. "I sleep with a baseball bat under my bed, because any little noise scares me into thinking he's come back even though it happened nearly 15 years ago…."

Kelly was quiet for a moment thinking about what he said, she slowly nodded.

"Okay…okay, I'll do it…" She agreed. "But…but only if you come with me."

He smiled. "No problem…"

"You guys going to be okay?" Joey asked as Chandler helped Kelly towards the door.

"Yeah, I think we will be…" Kelly said quietly looking at Chandler.

Once they had left, the others looked at each other, trying to figure out if anyone else knew. Then all their eyes landed on Ross, silently asking what his involvement was in all of this.

"I thought you were cheating…" He looked at the floor. "Steve was my friend, I never thought he was…"

"I don't think any of us did…" Rachel whispered.

_**XxXxX**_

The next morning, Joey, Rachel, Ross, Monica and Phoebe sat in Central Perk. Chandler hadn't returned yet and they were all quite concerned about him. Their thoughts were focused on what Kelly had said, the secret she revealed. They couldn't help but think back over the years they had known him, some questions being answered by what they had learnt. Some new ones were being formed. The main one being, how known of them noticed how emotionally scarred one of their best friends was.

"Hey…" Chandler said tiredly.

"Chandler! How are you?" Rachel asked quickly. "How's Kelly? What's happening?"

He held his hand up to stop her questions. "I'm fine…. she's okay, now…we talked to the police, told them what happened…. Now she's on her way to LA to stay with her sister."

"What's going to happen to Steve?" Ross questioned.

Chandler shrugged. "Hopefully, jail."

"Chandler I'm sorry…if I hadn't have told him…" Ross started.

He shook his head. "I asked you to trust me…but you never."

"I'm sorry…"

"Okay…" Chandler nodded slowly but said no more and simply turned to leave.

"Where you going?" Joey called after him.

"Bed…I haven't spelt all night…"

"You are okay, aren't you?" Rachel asked.

"I will be…." He nodded and sent them a small smile. "It's time to move on…"

**The End**

**That's all! Please review! **


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